Any Marketing 101 class will teach you that customers only buy from companies and people they like and trust. No customer gives their hard earned money to a store that doesn’t meet their needs. So if you want to make more money and do more business you’ve got to be likeable and trustworthy.
This is one of those principles’ that is easier said than done. Blog posts and status updates that are stiff, press releases written without emotion, photos that look like they were purchases from stock photo sites and dry, professional sounding articles are the quickest way to slash any connection you could have built with a customer. Engaging your customers is what separates the winners from the losers; successful companies from ones destined to fail. The question is how do you connect with customers so that they like you and trust you enough to give you their business?
To connect with customers you’ve got to write blog posts that engage, Facebook status’ that are intriguing, use photos that bring out emotions, and write articles that are interesting and helpful. Customers don’t like stiff, dry, or professional sounding communications from stores they buy from. They want to connect with you.
The first thing to remember when trying to create that connection is to throw out all the writing rules you learned in school. Forget everything your high school English teacher ever taught you about how to write. You aren’t writing term papers anymore that will be graded on organization, flow, grammar, and style. Companies that write stiff or formal communications to customers lose them fairly quickly. Your customers want to connect with your brand and being a bit more casual in your tone and writing is a good way to do it. Use conversational language, short sentences, short paragraphs and a friendly voice in your company communications.
For example which do you like better:
- Pepsi just announced the re-introduction of Crystal Pepsi!
- Throwback Alert! Crystal Pepsi makes its way back onto shelves.
B is obviously the more casual of the two comments. Informal language connects more with customers while still getting the message across.
It can also help if you write like you talk. If you’re having problems with your status updates, tweets or blog posts sounding to formal or like you just wrote a history paper, then this is the cure. Write out what you want to say and then read it out loud. Does it sound like something you would say to another person? Does it sound like you? If it doesn’t, take another crack at it. This will help the communication coming out of your organization sound like it’s coming from an actual person, rather than a cultivated message from corporate headquarters.
If you upload videos for your customers to see you’ve got to be casual and informal here too. Short, how-to or information videos are great ways to connect with your customers. Provided you do them the right way.
Your videos should be conversational style. Don’t read from a script. Video’s that showcase you referring to your notes or reading from cue cards turn off audience members really quickly! Instead of writing a script for a video you want to film, just write an intro, conclusion and jot down the points you want to make. Then go shoot the video. Don’t use what you’ve written down; just say it on the fly! It’s your business so you should know the product pretty well.
Ad-libbing videos will help you come off as a lot more confident and casual. Two things that are absolutely necessary when connecting with customers. If you stumble, do some simple edits until you end up with a great video.
Customers also like connecting through photos. Just think of how you use Facebook. As soon as you get a new friend on Facebook what do you do? Scroll through all of their pictures. People are used to connecting through photos, so use them in your business too.
The best photos to share are images of business as usual, busy times at your store, customers using your products, interesting images and anything that will evoke an emotional response. If you are not quite as adept at taking photos as a teenage girl would be just remember to look for interesting images to share. If you have to travel anywhere for your organization, take a picture. If you get an endorsement for one of your products, ask for the customer to take a picture of themselves using your product. Try to show your customers interesting and emotional images to connect with them.
The most important point is to just be yourself. Write, Tweet, post and update your status in your voice. Don’t try to sound like anyone else or post photos that make you look like something you’re not. Embrace your weaknesses and your clients will too. The more casual, informal and relatable you come across as, the easier it will be for customers to identify with you and want to do business with you. That’s what it’s all about really, gaining the customers trust, respect and business.
Good luck!
Ethan Warrick
